Method

Participant

Intervention

Main outcome measure

Main finding

Notes

Iggman 2014

Randomised control trial

Double-blinded

Parallel group

Period of study: 5 months

39 healthy lean individuals with mean age of 27 ± 4 years

Palm oil rich in saturated fatty acid vs sunflower oil rich in polyunsaturated fatty acid

weight gain (kg)

small difference in body weight changes between the group that received palm oil and sunflower oil [mean difference −0.56 (95% CI −1.20 to 0.08)]

study was carried out for 7 weeks between August- December 2011 in Sweden

Kien 2005

Randomised Control

Trial

Double-blinded

Period of study: 8 weeks

43 healthy, non-obese young adults

(21-34 years old)

High Palmitic Acid (source from palm oil) vs High Oleic Acid (source from sunflower oil)

BMI

no difference in BMI changes for both men and women who received palm oil and sunflower oil [mean difference −0.20 (95% CI −2.01 to 1.61)

Conducted in Ohio State University medical Centre, United States

Kien 2014

 Quasi-randomized, cross-over clinical

trial

Period of study: 29 days

9 men and 9 women

High palmitic acid (source from palm oil 89%, peanut oil 6.75%, olive oil 4.25%) vs low palmitic acid with high oleic acid (source from sunflower oil 19.3%, hazelnut oil 43.8%, palm oil 36.9%)

Body weight BMI

(kg),

small difference for changes in body weight for men [mean difference 0.01 (95% CI −0.91 to 0.93)] and women [0.01 (95% CI −0.92 to 0.93)] respectively

Study conducted in University of Vermont, United States.

This oil was not used for cooking (as cooking oil) but was added with food that has been warmed

Lucci, 2015

 Randomised control trial

Period of study: 3 months

160 Eligible participants were community-dwelling men and women, aged ≥ 50 years.

Rich extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) diet (n = 82) or hybrid palm oil-rich

(HPO) diet (n = 78)

BMI

no difference in BMI changes between the group that received hybrid palm oil and extra virgin olive oil, mean difference 0.60, (95% CI −0.55 to 1.75)

Study location Colombia

Tholstrup 2011

Randomized Controlled

Double-blinded

Period of study 3 × 3 weeks crossover dietary intervention (without washout period)

32 healthy men

(19 - 64 years old)

palm olein vs olive oil vs lard

weight (kg)

no difference in body weight changes between the groups that received palm oil and olive oil [mean difference −0.30, 95% CI (4.56 to 3.96)

study carried out in collaboration between MPOB and Department of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Life Sciences University of Copenhagen, Denmark